Oak hermit moves into Buseck Castle Park!

Oak hermit moves into Buseck Castle Park!

A captivating new attraction has now found its way into the **Buseck Castle Park**! The wooden sculpture of the hermit, which weighs over 160 kilograms and is masterfully carved from the oldest tree in the park, is causing a stir.

After a long four years of waiting, the **Friends of Busecker Schlosspark** has finally reached its goal: the hermit's house, which was historically reconstructed based on old photo documents and oral traditions, is now inhabited. It was originally equipped with a wooden hermit who kept visitors to the park company. Now there is a new, impressive figure in the garden, carved from the trunk of a more than 300-year-old oak tree that was felled by the storm in February 2022.

A masterpiece made of natural wood

The talented woodworker **Jochen Adam** from Biedenkopf transformed the fallen oak trunk into a detailed sculpture. He invested a total of 50 hours of work into it. The special type of wood made it possible to carve out fine contours. “A tribe this thick doesn’t come along often,” he remarked at the inauguration and thanked those present for their trust. Mayor **Michael Ranft** reported on the crucial inspection of the tree before work: “One expert thought it was stable, the other was right.” The storm had made the healthy impression deceptive.

Not only board members of the Circle of Friends were present at the inauguration ceremony, but also a delegation from the partner community **Molln** in Upper Austria, which will be celebrating its 50th anniversary next year. The honorary mayor **Erhard Reinl** laughed: “The old man lives here, but he hasn’t registered with the residents’ registration office yet!” In the shadow of the newly created work of art, we can only hope that the hermit has not only found a new home, but will also conquer the hearts of park visitors!